Reymon rode ahead at a steady pace, his eyes sharp and his mind calm.
As they neared the center, the roots shifted aside, forming a clear passage leading toward the heart of the city where the Demon Tree stood.
Reymon narrowed his eyes. "Keep moving," he said quietly. "Don’t stop for anything."
Soon, they reached the central city square. At the center stood the Demon Tree — tall, seemingly ancient, and twisted — its massive roots spread out like a sleeping beast.
Just as Reymon was about to give his next command, his Hall token flickered with a ssage. He pressed two fingers against it, listening to the voice of one of his squad captains.
"Lord Reymon," the captain said, his tone uneasy. "We checked Lady Zinnia’s martial arts school. The entire place is empty. There’s no one there — no students, no disciples, nothing."
Reymon’s brows furrowed slightly. "Empty?" he repeated. "So they’ve all gone sowhere else. Did he send them away knowing the siege would take place?"
He didn’t let the thought distract him for long. He looked ahead again, fixing his eyes on the man sitting beneath the Demon Tree.
Aksai Everwood sat cross-legged under the tree, motionless, his eyes closed as if deep in ditation. The faint glow of Spirit essence surrounded him, calm but steady.
The overall ambient Spirit essence in Sharang was not much, almost nonexistent. As such, Aksai had set up a simple Spirit Gathering Formation and made use of loads of Spirit Stones to make up for it.
Reymon raised his hand, signaling his forces to spread out. The cavalry split silently, circling the square from all directions until Aksai was surrounded. The entire place fell quiet — only the distant creak of the tree branches broke the silence.
When Reymon was about a hundred ters away, he stopped his horse. He scanned the area carefully. Aside from Aksai, there was no one in sight.
Then he noticed it — a small green snake wrapped around Aksai’s right arm. It didn’t move, its scales glinting faintly under the light. Reymon tilted his head slightly. The snake looked ordinary, far too small and harmless to be any kind of Qi beast.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"You know," Reymon said, his voice loud and firm, "you’re pretty gutsy for staying here all by yourself."
He dismounted from his horse and took a few steps forward, his armor glinting faintly in the dim light. His massive broadsword rested across his shoulder.
"Tell ," he continued, his tone mocking, "are you planning to surrender now that you’ve run out of tricks? Or maybe you’re ready to hand over your life... and all the treasures from your world that you’ve been hiding?"
He laughed softly, glancing at the storage ring on Aksai’s hand. "I bet that ring alone could probably feed a small kingdom here."
Reymon’s confidence was absolute. He had hunted countless corrupted druids in his long life — otherworldly cultivators who had dared to enter Sharang unannounced just like Aksai. He knew their tricks, their limits, and their weaknesses.
And most importantly, he knew how to kill them.
Even now, as he stood facing Aksai’s calm, ditating figure, he felt no fear. He could tell that Aksai’s Spirit essence was stronger than most — late-stage Foundation Establishnt— but Reymon had fought worse and survived.
He took another step forward, his golden Qi swirling around him like fire.
"Wake up, Everwood," Reymon said, his voice low but sharp. "It’s ti you paid for everything you’ve done."
A faint sound of wind rustled through the empty square for no apparent reason as Aksai slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze, calm and steady, t Reymon’s across the distance. There was no trace of fear or anger in his expression—just quiet awareness, as if he had been expecting this mont all along.
The faint shimr of Spirit essence still lingered around his body, pulsing softly like a heartbeat. He looked around the city square, his eyes sweeping over the hundreds of armored warriors who had surrounded him from every direction. Their golden Qi shone faintly through the fog, casting long shadows across the cracked stone ground.
Aksai’s lips curved into a small smile.
"So it’s finally ti," he said softly, his voice calm and even. He looked back at Reymon, who stood at the front with his massive sword in hand.
"Hehe. It’s good to finally et you, grand master Reymon. Of course I had to be alone for what I’m about to do."
He paused, his tone thoughtful.
"Of course I am all alone save for this little thing around my arm. I can’t risk the lives of Zinnia and her subordinates now that I’ve decided to do sothing extre. Even I can’t predict what will happen once I start. I can’t even guarantee my own safety when that happens."
He let out a quiet breath and tilted his head slightly, his eyes half-lidded. "I’d be an idiot if I kept Zinnia and her people with under such conditions."
Reymon frowned slightly but didn’t interrupt.
Aksai’s faint smile deepened. "But I’m glad you ca prepared. You’ve responded exactly as I wanted you to. In fact," he said, his tone carrying a hint of amusent, "I’d say you’ve surpassed my expectations by bringing nearly all of your Aurous Artists here. Three thousand warriors—just to deal with one man."
Reymon’s eyes darkened, but Aksai continued, unbothered.
"I suppose this was less about the efficiency and more about the optics since I chose to humiliate your organization. You wanted to intimidate and others by showing the full might of the Grand Martial Hall.
But have you ever stopped to think what would happen to your Hall—or to your cause—if this decision of yours cos back to bite you in the rear?"
The words hung in the air, quiet but sharp.
Reymon’s grip tightened around his sword. "Such bravado," he said coldly. "Are you saying this because you’re depending on the Devil’s Den? If that’s what—"
He was about to finish, but Aksai lifted a hand and shook his head slowly.
"That’s not it," Aksai said, his tone still calm.
"Why would I raise the Devil’s Den knowing full well that you’ve already prepared counterasures for it? I don’t plan to face the backlash on my soul by doing sothing that reckless. At least not right now when I’m at such a crucial point of no return."
Reymon froze for a mont, taken aback.
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